Heart of a Hero
by Night-Mare-Chan
Summary: Izayoi and Inutaisho. A hopeless dreamer and a heartless youkai. Both in need of a hero.
1. Scroll 1: The Dreamer and The Empty

          It was hot. The air hung like a thick, wet blanket, smothering her. Even the silk curtains made the barest of ripples as the carriage rumbled along. Izayoi sighed and tried to edge away from her little sister's heat. It was impossible to sleep this night. She wasn't sure how her sisters managed it. Never before had they traveled at night. But brother was anxious to get to their new castle and was pushing everyone extra hard. Truthfully, Izayoi didn't mind the journey. She had never seen the world outside her walls. She had never realized how big and interesting it was. There were so many new stories to be heard out here. Stories that her nurse wouldn't even consider telling. Nurse liked to tell the tales about little girls who always did what they were told and got good husbands. Those stories were good enough, but they always turned out the same way and there was so much else to hear. Stories about found loves, mystical omens and, her favorite, youkai. The eight-year-old sighed, clasping her hands together under her chin. Youkai...deliciously evil monsters who roamed the dark and scary places. Creatures so dangerous, that only the bravest of people had a chance against them.

          Izayoi pushed back the silk curtain. The moonlight shone in full, making it easy to see the woman walking a few feet away. Her hair hung in a dark heavy braid down her back and her age lined face was serious. She looked like any other woman, except that she wore armor and carried a heavy wooden staff. She was something Brother called a taijya. A youkai exterminator. A woman with hundreds of stories to tell. As if sensing Izayoi's thoughts, the woman turned her head to look at the girl. A smile lit the woman's eyes.

          "What are you doing up, hime-sama? It's late."

          "I can't sleep," Izayoi said, with a small sigh. Then she perked up, smiling brilliantly. "But perhaps if you told one of your stories, taijya-san!" The woman chuckled and shook her head.

          "You well know what your brother thinks of my tales. I think you should try sleeping on your own."

          "Oh, please!" Izayoi said, clasping her hands together. "Brother wouldn't mind if it was just one to help me get to sleep. I promise after that I won't ask for any more."

          "Very well," the woman said with another small chuckle. Izayoi sat up and pulled herself to sit on the edge of the carriage. 

          "And perhaps if I walk with you as well? I would so love to stretch my legs."

          The woman's strong arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her from the carriage, then deposited her gently on the ground. Izayoi smiled up at her gratefully. She was full of too much energy to just sit inside the carriage. 

          "I promise you won't get in any trouble," Izayoi said, patting the woman's hand comfortingly. "Brother will understand."

          "I know. Believe me, if you didn't have Okata-sama wrapped around your little fist, I wouldn't have even bothered."     

          Izayoi cocked her head. What did the woman mean by that? She didn't have anything wrapped around her fist, let alone something of her brothers. The taijya offered no explanation and instead patted her hair lightly.

          "So, which tale would you like to hear?" the woman asked. Izayoi pondered this for a moment. The tale of the bat demon was enough to give her chills. Then of course there was the one about the possessed manure pile, which she was sure taijya-san had made up for the fun of it. She'd heard all of them before. What she really wanted was something no one had ever heard. Something special. Something that was just her own.

          "Tell a story about me and my hero," she said, looking up into the taijya's face. The woman raised an eyebrow.

          "Your hero?"

          "Yes! All ladies are supposed to have a hero," Izayoi said with a definite nod. "They come when things are really bad and save the lady from death...and then they fall in love." She sighed gustily, pressing both hands to her heart. For some reason, the taijya seemed amused by this.

          "And let me guess, they live happily ever after."

          "Of course not!" Izayoi said with a surprised blink. How could such a good storyteller not know how the ending should go? "The lady and her hero may love each other, but can never be together because he is a lower station. The lady has a duty to marry someone else...but the two pine for one another, sending each other wonderful poems by the moonlight. Then the hero dies through some bitter struggle and the lady grieves and dies soon after giving birth to a strong healthy son."

          "And that's what you want, is it?" the taijya asked. She seemed sad for some reason. Without thinking, Izayoi grabbed her rough hand and clenched it tightly.

          "That's what every lady wants. But excuse me, I have upset you. I didn't mean to..."

          "I know," the woman said with a soft smile. "You're just a young thing. You don't even know what love is...and I hope that you never will."

          "I will. I have to, you see. I'm a lady. It's what makes ladies extra special."

          "And who told you this?"

          "Nurse. She's the one who told us we would find a hero." Izayoi clasped her hands together and twirled about in the road, letting her hair fly about her dramatically. "I know exactly how I will meet my hero."

          "Oh yes?" the taijya was back to sounding amused again and Izayoi was glad.

          "I will be all alone in a dark scary place." She stopped twirling and started to pretend she was in that spooky place. Maybe a giant forest or an enchanted castle. "Suddenly I'll be attacked by a vicious youkai!"

          "And what does it look like, Izayoi-sama?" asked a different voice. The girl blinked, a little startled at being interrupted, and suddenly noticed her brother's men had come closer to watch her. She nodded her head to welcome them, even as tried to imagine a fierce enough youkai to impress.

          "It would be as tall as…as a horse! With fangs as long as a sword and dripping with poison." She gestured with her arms on how the creature should look and several of the men chuckled. 

          "And he'll come at me with glowing red eyes and laugh meanly and say: 'I want to taste your blood, little girl'." For the youkai's voice she tried to make it rough and mean. It must have worked because some of the men clapped. 

          "And what about your hero?" the taijya said. Izayoi thought for a second. That was another tough one. Suddenly the rest of the story came to her.

          "There will be a flash of white light and the youkai will be driven back. Behind him will be my hero, glowing like he was lit by a thousand lanterns. He will smile and say-"

          "It's time you were in bed, imp." This unexpected voice bought a wave of laughter. Izayoi blushed and turned to look up at her big brother. He was sitting astride his large horse, trying to give her a stern look. She could tell he wasn't really mad because the corner of his mouth was smiling. Izayoi folded her hands in front of her and tried to look innocent.

          "Forgive me. I know I should have been sleeping, big brother, but I couldn't. I'm just so excited about seeing our new castle tomorrow."

          "You wanted a story and you well know it," he said, but he didn't sound angry at all. Izayoi smiled. Brother was rarely angry with her.

          "She tells a story well, Okata-sama," said one of the men.

          "Be that as it may, it is still her bed time. And in case you have forgotten, we are still in dangerous territory. We might be safe from youkai attack, but there is no telling what kind of thieves are on the road."

          "Can't I stay up a little longer, big brother?" Izayoi asked, falling back and clinging to the taijya's arm. "She's going to be gone in the morning and I do want to hear one last story."  

          "No, Izayoi-chan." Immediately after, his face softened. "But perhaps the taijya could give you something to remember her by."

          "I think I might have something," the taijya said. "With your permission, my lord." 

          Brother nodded. The taijya pulled a small cloth bag from her belt and handed it to Izayoi. The girl opened it and blinked at what she saw. It was a long, rectangular piece of paper with some squiggles on it. 

          "Ofuda," the taijya explained. "A monk gave it to me." The woman rolled her eyes. "Kami-sama only knows why." 

          "What does it do?" Izayoi asked, turning the strange object over and over in her hands.

          "Supposedly there's a spell on it. It has the power to repel evil. Although I'm not sure how strong it is, it'll likely kill any youkai you'll ever face."

          "But don't you need it?" 

          "I don't need that kind of magic to fight evil," the taijya said, straightening proudly. "And anyway, the ofuda probably has only one good use in it. That gives your hero plenty of time to rush in and save you." 

          Izayoi clutched the talisman to her and bowed. Completely overwhelmed by this gift. Never had she thought that the woman liked her enough to give her something of this much importance.

          "Thank you so much. I will…" she trailed off as the bushes by the side of the road rustled softly. A man holding a bow stepped from the shade of the trees. Her heart jumped as his eyes met hers. Then the world seemed to slow down. An arrow suddenly appeared in the man's bow and he aimed the weapon right at her.

          "Izayoi!" Brother yelled. The bowman jerked the weapon up and there was a sharp twang. Izayoi whirled to follow the path of the arrow and stared uncomprehendingly as it slammed into her brother, just below his left shoulder. His eyes widened, hands letting go of the reins as he fell back. He fell from the horse and tumbled to the ground, a dark red pool seeping up around him. There was a long silence then. A silence that seemed to last forever.

          "Bastard!" The yell of one of her brother's men bought time crashing back down on her. The bowmen fitted another arrow to the string but before he could fire the taijya moved in front of him with incredible speed and smashed the staff across his head. Almost at the same moment, men burst screaming from between the trees. The ragged swords they waved flashed in the moonlight. One of them flew at the taijya, swinging the sword at her head. The woman ducked and slammed the butt of her staff into the man's chin, sending him flying. Izayoi stared at everything, clutching the ofuda close to her chest. How could this be happening?! Nothing like this was supposed to happen! They were supposed to go to the castle tomorrow. 

          "Hime-sama, run!" The taijya's barked command shattered her paralyzing fear. Izayoi shrieked and bolted, running instinctively toward her brother, only to stop short with a startled sob when she saw him lying there. She fell to her knees, 

slamming her eyes shut and clutching her hands together tightly. Her heart was thumping so loud she could barely hear anything else. There was no where to run. No one who could protect her. Everything was so frightening and she didn't know what to do. Where was her hero?

          "Retreat!" a man yelled. "Grab whatever you can of value and let's go!"  Izayoi gasped. Was it her hero who was making them run? She opened her eyes. One of the men with ragged blades was standing, back turned, not a few feet away. He was looming over Brother, sword drawn.

          "Leave my brother alone!" she cried. The man whirled, sword raised. Then on seeing her, relaxed. A scary grin spread across his face.

          "You look valuable, little girl," he said. Izayoi yelped and scrambled to her feet, prepared to run. Before she could, the man lunged at her, hand curled into a fist. Izayoi doubled over as the fist slammed into her stomach. The next thing she knew, she was lost in a breathless world of black.

~~~

          The youkai flew through the night, a warm wind shifting through his hair. The full moon was large in the sky, washing everything in a pale light. He offered the white orb a rueful smile. At one time, its radiance alone would be enough to tingle his blood. Now he felt nothing. The wildness of youth had long since left him. Many things had left him. Friends and littermates had long since fallen. It was no wonder that most youkai didn't live past adolescence. There wasn't much of a point. It was better to die young and in a blaze of passion then old, empty and bored. Fortunately, although he was very old and pretty much empty, he wasn't completely bored… Not yet, at any rate.

          Inutaisho stopped where he was, hovering high above the trees, and fanned out his senses. Finding nothing, he sighed in irritation. Where the hell was that whelp? He lowered himself, hoping to catch at least a hint of the scent if he was closer to the tree line. The wind was still, offering no assistance. Finally, just as he was about to give up and go searching, a soft, barely tangible breeze bought the scent to him. Inutaisho sighed again, folded his arms and dropped his head back. The scent was so far away. If that pup didn't learn to fly soon, Inutaisho was going to beat his head in out of pure frustration. 

          With a resigned air, the youkai lord did a lazy backflip then glided down among the trees. He alighted on one with a particularly large branch, and settled himself on it, crossing his arms behind his head. It was going to be quite a wait. But if the centuries had taught Inutaisho one thing, it was patience. He could wait for very long time if he chose to. What was really pathetic was that the pup was probably pushing himself to his limit. Inutaisho could just picture the whelp bounding from branch to branch like a squirrel in heat, using all his senses to track a father who was no longer in the sky. The thought made Inutaisho chuckle. If there was one thing that Sesshou-chan was good for, it was a laugh… which was probably why Inutaisho had taken him in.

          Inuyoukai males rarely took part in pup rearing. Now Inutaisho knew why. Pups were the most insufferable things. So whiny, so _needy._He'd been told that Sesshou-chan was far more reserved then other pups his age. That was one thing Inutaisho couldn't believe. The first twenty years or so was nothing but: 'I want milk!' and 'Can we go back home now?'. Now it was the slightly more annoying liturgy of: 'Teach me how to…' and, his absolute favorite: 'Why?'

          But despite all of his incessant questioning, Sesshou-chan was highly amusing. He was clumsy and had barely any hunting skills to speak of. He was so behind his peers it was laughable. But there was potential there as well…or at least there at had better be. 

          Inutaisho shifted into a more comfortable position and closed his eyes, but kept his senses open. He only vaguely paid attention to the movements of the forest around him. Rabbits, mice and kami knew what else scuttled around in the underbrush. The scent of a tanuki youkai flickered into his senses, then abruptly flickered back out again. Then, distantly, was the heady scent of blood. Inutaisho sat up, scanning the dark forest for the source. He couldn't see anything yet, but he could just about hear the tromping of feet over fallen leaves. 

          The scent came steadily closer and Inutaisho grinned as he finally identified it. Human blood. Even better, the blood scent was coming from the human's themselves. Humans that had just killed were likely to put up a decent fight, or as decent as humans could get anyway. The small band, numbering about eight by the smell of them, stopped a few miles away. Tonight's hunting lesson was going to be fun. 

          Not a moment later, his pup came into smell, followed closely after by the sound of him crashing through the trees with all the grace of a wild boar. Inutaisho's grin widened and he leapt from his perch. The youkai lord jumped lightly among the branches to meet the whelp, moving with a silent, deadly grace that had been refined over centuries. Sesshou-chan appeared in the distance, seeming so intent on his running, he didn't notice his father bearing down on him. _Pity, that, _the mature youkai thought with a grin. Finally, the pup seemed to notice him. But it was too late. Inutaisho landed on the branch his son was on and smoothly kicked his feet out from under him. The pup yelped and tumbled back, landing unceremoniously in a bush. 

          "Very graceful," Inutaisho said with a laugh, crouching to get a better view. "Tell me, are you clumsy on purpose or do you just do it to amuse me?"  

          The whelp scowled, slicing away the bush with his claws. When he was free, he stood and looked up, the expression on his face unreadable. The pup was frustrated…and something else too. Not that it really mattered. 

          "You left me," Sesshou-chan said accusingly. Inutaisho stood, folding his arms. 

          "It should not have taken you all afternoon to defeat those youkai. There were only five of them."

          "You didn't tell me they spit poison," the whelp muttered, mimicking his father's pose. Inutaisho rolled his eyes in irritation. Here it came. The absolute worst thing about pup rearing. Explaining. Why couldn't pups be born with everything they needed to know? It would make them far easier to deal with. 

          "I shouldn't have had to tell you. You have a nose, learn how to use it."

          "I _did _use it," Sesshou-chan said, a low growl rising in his throat. Inutaisho narrowed his eyes. It wasn't _quite _a challenge…but too much to let the whelp get away with_. _He jumped down, snatched Sesshou-chan up by the scruff of the neck, and slammed him into a tree. The adolescent slumped to the ground, bowing his head and exposing the back of his neck in supplication.  

          "Come!" Inutaisho barked, and immediately jumped up into the trees.To his credit, Sesshou-chan was quickly behind him. He paused on the branch he had last sat. His son quickly joined him, keeping himself at a low, respectful, crouch. 

          "What do you smell?" Inutaisho asked, gesturing out to the open forest. The pup hesitated a moment, head cocked. Then a small scowl broke out across his features.

          "Humans," he said, twisting his mouth as if he'd just tasted something vile.

          "Don't tell me that's all," Inutaisho said, raising an eyebrow. The hesitation was longer this time and the youkai lord sighed impatiently. Sesshou-chan cast him a sideways glance, nervousness creeping into his scent. The pup leaned forward, audibly sniffing. Inutaisho resisted the urge to boot him off the branch and instead, leaned back and folded his arms. 

          "I smell…an owl?" Sesshou-chan said after a while. 

          "Damnit, pup! Where you weaned yesterday?" Inutaisho growled, smacking the young one upside the head and nearly knocking him from the tree. "Concentrate on the humans! They're in sweat and dried blood. They haven't even lit up any campfires. Now what do you think that means, little idiot?"

          "They're on the run," Sesshou-chan said, understanding finally dawning. The pup stood, flexing his claws. "And these are what I'm supposed to hunt?" 

          "You'll never learn if you don't step up from low level youkai."

          Sesshou-chan responded to this by closing his eyes and flicking a few strands of white hair behind his shoulder.

          "Humans are hardly what I would call a step up, Chichi-ue."

          Inutaisho snorted. Pretentious little shit. The respectful title was the only thing that kept the pup from being slammed into another tree. 

"Just because they don't have claws or fangs doesn't mean they're an easy kill. Humans are unpredictable and can be as tricky as kitsune." 

          "Any youkai that is tricked by a human is no youkai at all," the pup said.  

          "It's your pelt, _runt_," Inutaisho said with a grin. Sesshou-chan stiffened, teeth clenching and hand curling up into a fist. Blood welled up from where the claws sliced, but the pup didn't even seem to notice. Inutaisho laughed. It was just so easy. He jumped lightly to the ground and started walking toward the human camp. This should be interesting. 

---

Notes: Eh… this chapter was originally gonna be longer, but I decided against it. Split it in two. ^_~ Easier to digest that way, ya? Also, methinks I might have spelled taijya wrong. 0o Anyone gotta correction?

Translation Notes: 

Kami-sama= god(s)

Chichi-ue= An uberly respectful and uberly archaic way of saying Father.     

Hime-sama=Princess. In this case it means the daughter of a clan leader.__

Update Information: I am not promising rapid updates, but I am promising updates. With college, work, other fics and real life looming on the horizon, I don't have a lot of time. I do however promise that I won't drop this fic or any other fic. Expect a continuation and an ending… It just might take me a while to get there.

Side Note: To all those seeing the Author Alert! And thinking, W00t! This is Child's Eyes or W00t! This is To Meet Again… or Whatever… I will update them when I fall into touch with that particular fandom. ^.^ But this is probably the last new fanfic for a while as I believe I've covered all my fan bases…


	2. Scroll 2: The Meeting of Two Worlds

Note: Some people say my chapters are too long, others that they are too short. What do you think? On one hand, longer chapters are well, longer chapters. However, it would take me longer to update. On the other, shorter ones are easier and updates might be more frequent then they would be otherwise.

For those who read Hikaru no Go… There are just some things you can not resist. Juust to clarify. When bitch is used here-- It's meant as a term rather then an insult. Y'aknow, like how Shippou calls Kagome vixen?

---

There were voices above her. She couldn't tell who they were, except they sounded male. Izayoi closed her eyes tightly. They were strange voices, belonging to strange men. Someone had taken her from where she was safe. Brother had let them take her. Why had he let them take her? He hadn't really been hurt. He'd…he'd only been pretending. He had to be. No one could really hurt her big brother. She pulled her knees up to her chest and yelped as the movement made her stomach hurt. There was something wrapped around her ankles too. But…but the ofuda was still there in her clenched hands, digging slightly into her fingers. She gripped it tightly, trying to gain some comfort from the gift.

"Do you think she's awake?" asked one of the strange men.

"Frankly, I don't care if she never wakes," said another. "I don't even know why we bought her in the first place."

"Thought you would like her," a third voice grumbled.

"Well I don't," said the second. "You should have grabbed the horse, idiot. What are we going to do with a little girl?"

"Ransom," answered the third. "Coming from an entourage like that, we should fetch enough to keep us fed for a month, and still have money for a little…pleasure."

"And be killed as soon as we show our faces," said the first. "That woman… She fought like a youkai!"

Izayoi gasped and winced as it hurt her stomach. Her thoughts made her quickly forget her pain. Taijya-san! These men talked just like the men from the exterminator's stories. Evil, evil men who always got what was coming to them when the hero showed up.

"Anyway," said the first man. "We need to figure out what we're going to do. Thanks to moron-san over there, those guards will be looking for us…and they're not going to be happy."

"They would have looked for us even if I had stolen the horse, so don't 'moron-san' me!" snapped the third.

"Gentleman," said the second. "This isn't helping. Now, might I suggest we go discuss this with the others?" There was the sound of feet moving away. The men continued talking but Izayoi tuned them out. They didn't sound like villains anymore and it was starting to scare her. This was just like a story. They _had _to talk like villains…otherwise her hero wouldn't come for her and then… A shiver ran through her. If he didn't come, then she didn't know. If the story didn't work out like it was supposed too, then she would never know what would happen next.

It couldn't be that way, though, because she always knew what happened next. Every morning she would get up and wash her face and hands, like a lady should, then eat breakfast. Then was calligraphy and then a Go lesson with silly old master Sai. Even though they were traveling now, a lot of things were still the same. She always knew where they were going and where they were stopping and every night she would sneak out to hear taijya-san's tales. All her life was a story…so this shouldn't be any different. Her hero would arrive.

Izayoi struggled to sit up, trying to ignore the pain in her stomach. Whoever her hero was, she wanted to show him how strong she could be. She would sit up and meet him in the eye as soon as he came to rescue her. Everyone knew ladies had to be rescued…but no one said they couldn't be rescued sitting up. After some effort, she managed to get her legs under her so she could rest back on them. Then set her hands on her lap, smoothing the ofuda underneath them, squared her shoulders, remembered to lift her chin and opened her eyes.

The moonlight dappled through the trees, basking her kidnappers in strange shadows. They were all hunched in a circle, talking. She couldn't hear what they were saying but she didn't really care. It soothed her to see them acting like bad men again. One of the men looked up and stared at her. She met his gaze without flinching. She wasn't scared of him. There was nothing to be scared of. The man nudged his companion.

"Oi, she's awake," he said. The other man looked up at her and shrugged.

"So? She can't run very far with her ankles tied…and anyway, it's not like she has any where to run."

"Don't you think it's strange the way she's looking at us?" said the first man. "It's as if she knows something we don't."

Izayoi nodded. Of course she did. At that moment, the wind came up hard out of no where; blowing her hair in front of her and making the trees rustle violently. Then he appeared, melting out of the darkness of the trees. He looked younger then she expected. The wind blew his silver white hair behind him and ruffled the fur on the strange pelt that hung over his shoulder. For a moment, his glowing yellow eyes rose to meet hers and she gasped, instinctively scooting back until she was up against the solid trunk of a tree. His eyes were cold, merciless…hungry. Finally one of the bandits seemed to notice him.  
"Hey! Who are you?!" the man asked, looking up from his sitting position. The boy's hand moved so fast she could barely see it. The bandit's head seemed to pop off from his body. A fine red mist sprayed the moonlit air.

"It's a-" another bandit started, but before he could finish the sentence, the boy's clean hand slashed down the man's chest. The man screamed and fell back. One by one, the men either attacked or tried to run. No matter what they did, the boy was one step ahead of them, sharp claws whirling. Izayoi huddled against the tree, unable to close her eyes. She wanted to run. Run and hide some place dark where he couldn't find her. But if she moved, he would notice her and then… She whimpered. The youkai's head snapped around and once again, cold yellow eyes bored into her. Then he was coming for her, a bloodstained hand raised. Screaming, Izayoi instinctively threw the first thing her fingers clenched around. The ofuda sailed through the short distance between then and smacked the boy right in the middle of the forehead. There was a brilliant flash of white and the youkai flew backwards through the air. He flipped right before he hit the ground and landed in a graceful crouch. The white ofuda turned black and crumpled to dust. Izayoi clutched the tree trunk, wishing she could disappear into the wood. She was starting to think her hero would never show up.

"You-" the boy snarled, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by an eruption of loud laughter. Izayoi blinked, completely startled, and glanced at the woods behind the youkai boy. A man stumbled from the shadows of the trees, clutching his stomach with long clawed hands and laughing so hard he was nearly doubled over. He looked much like the boy, except his white hair was swept up in a high ponytail and furry pelt hung over his shoulders like a cape.

"Chichi-ue…" said the boy with a strange tone in his voice.

"I haven't laughed this hard in _centuries,_" the man said, straightening and wiping at his eyes. "You are the worst fighter I've ever seen."

"I killed all of them, didn't I?" the boy asked softly, turning to look at the older youkai.

"Almost," said the man. Once again, Izayoi found herself under the stare of strange yellow eyes. But this time, instead of being cold, the eyes were curious. Izayoi shyly met his gaze, unsure exactly how to react. He didn't _seem _dangerous.

"I don't see how that little girl is very important," the boy grumbled. The man grinned, flashing sharp fangs.

"She beat you, didn't she?"

Afterwards, everything went by so fast that the next thing Izayoi knew, she was sitting in the crook of the older youkai's arm staring at the younger who had just slammed his fist through the tree she had been up against. He seemed as startled as she was because for a moment, he did nothing but stare straight ahead. Then he looked up, eyes murderous. Izayoi impulsively clutched her rescuer's clothes, pulling herself closer.

"Why did you save her, Chichi-ue!" the boy snarled. The man laughed and suddenly Izayoi felt his fingers trailing through her hair, and the whisper of claws down her cheek.

"Why? Because after making a fool of you so thoroughly, I think she deserves at least a few more days of life."

He really had saved her. Twice now, in fact. Izayoi twisted her head to look up in his face. He definitely didn't seem the hero type. Everything about him was definitely youkai. From the odd red stripes, two on either cheek, that trailed back and was lost in his hair, to his pointed ears. His reason for saving her hadn't exactly been heroic either. Nevertheless, facts were facts. He had saved her from impending doom on the claws of a terrifying youkai. This was her hero. He was just…a little rough around the edges. Well, she would smooth him out. After a few years of being her hero, he would be the best there ever was.

---

Damn. He was grinning so hard it actually _hurt. _Another chuckle bubbled up in Inutaisho's throat and he didn't bother to restrain it. Sesshou-chan was positively livid. His hackles were visibly raising and the whites of his eyes began to bleed red as his demon rage fought for control. The youkai lord sighed, good mood abruptly fading. Shifting the girl to one arm, he lazily swung the other one toward his pup. Sesshou-chan jumped back on pure instinct, landing in a defensive crouch. Inutaisho continued his gesture until he'd encompassed the entire clearing, soaked with blood and corpses.

"Look at that, whelp. Look at you. Your face is a mess and your pelt is drenched. Any youkai can slaughter--but only the noblest families are known for their finesse in doing so. Just because you're a runt doesn't mean you can be so sloppy."

Sesshou-chan dropped his head, and the hand he had resting on the ground spasmed and dug into the earth. Slowly, the pup's aggression faded until he was back to his normal, irritable little self again. Then he stood, shaking silver hair back in place over his shoulder. Inutaisho raised an eyebrow as he noted that Sesshou-chan's hair was the only thing not covered in blood.

"Next time I won't get a single drop on me, Chichi-ue."

Although it was tempting to remind the young one about just where his earlier arrogance had gotten him, Inutaisho refrained and simply said:

"Clean yourself up."

"And what of the human?" Sesshou-chan asked, glaring at the little female with blood hunger in his eyes. Inutaisho was about to be a good sport and throw her to him, when she spoke up.

"He won't let you hurt me because he's my hero," she said in a clear, confident voice. For a moment, both youkai were completely taken aback. Then Inutaisho laughed. What a foolish little thing. Still...it would be interesting to see Sesshou-chan's reaction if he indulged her just this once.

"I just might do that," he said, rubbing his chin along the top of her hair and instinctively memorizing her unique scent. Sesshou-chan bared the tip of his fangs in annoyance, then sped away and leapt into the nearest tree. Inutaisho waited until the pup was almost completely out of his senses before dropping the girl to the ground. She landed with a startled squeak. He turned and started for the darkness of the forest. Her scent remained with him, like an invisible cloud. The youkai lord wrinkled his nose. Ugh. He would be smelling like human for _days_. Sesshou-chan wasn't the only one who had to clean up.

"Where are you going?" the human called out behind him. For some reason her voice stopped him. He turned his head a little so he could look at her from the corner of his eye. She was kneeling on the ground, dirty little fists clenched in her lap.

"Why?"

"You still have to bring me back to my family." She frowned slightly, titling her head. "Big brother will be so worried." For some reason, this statement irritated more then amused him. Still, Inutaisho forced a smile.

"I don't have to do anything, human. You only get one rescue per thousand years and you've just used up yours."

She giggled. The reaction was so unexpected that he turned to look at her fully. The female got to her feet and absently brushed at the dirt on the sleeves of her cotton yakuta.

"I don't think you would do that. You know I won't live that long." She smiled and held a hand out to him. "Can we go now?"

"I'm _not _taking you anywhere, you silly little bitch," he snapped, turning on his heel.

"But you're my hero…" Again she spoke with absolute certainty. Inutaisho rolled his eyes heavenward. Kami-sama. He should have just fed her to Sesshou-chan when he'd had the chance. Shaking his head, he altered his course and strode right through the corpses. There wasn't a chance a human child would follow him through that-- let alone a female. There was silence behind him, but soon he could hear her bare feet dancing for clean spots on the grass as she tried to catch up with him. She was persistent, he'd give her that. A smirk lifted his face as a thought occurred to him. All he would have to do was frighten her so badly she wouldn't _want _to follow him. At the edge of the clearing he stopped. There was another squeak as the human bumped into the back of his legs. After a dramatic pause, he whirled on her, teeth bared, claws reaching for her throat. The female's reaction couldn't have been more different.

"Bad!" she snapped, whapping him in the nose. Inutaisho was so taken aback that all he could do was gawk at her. She-- just hit him. He could have sent her head sailing from her shoulders with one swipe-- and she hit him. He didn't know whether to be annoyed by this or completely amused. The female sighed softly and patted his cheek.

"I'm sorry. I know it is going to take a lot of work. But you'll learn to be a proper hero."

Inutaisho straightened and stared down at her. This was getting completely ridiculous. She was damned lucky he considered killing children a waste of time. Well at least there was one place he knew she couldn't follow.

"I'll tell you what, if you can catch me, I'll take you home," he said with a grin. She reached for him but he launched himself into the sky before her fingers could even brush his clothes. Far below, he heard another little sigh. Inutaisho shook his head. What a strange, stubborn little thing.

Shrugging her away, he began to drift through the night. It was silent and still. It didn't take him long to become bored out of his mind. He extended his senses to try and locate his whelp, but Sesshou-chan was nowhere to be found. Damnit. He didn't feel like looking for him. Even if it was just to be entertained.

The human child, though, was still fairly close by and getting slowly closer. The realization made him laugh. She was still following him. Maybe he should let her catch him. It might prove an interesting diversion. He began to descend. It wouldn't take too much time to find her family…and if he got bored he could leave her easily. Drifting down to a gnarled old tree, he landed on a branch then jumped to the ground and settled himself against the trunk. He wouldn't make it too easy for her. If she didn't find him by tomorrow he would go hunt down his son again.

A half-hearted sniff told him she wouldn't be here for a good while yet. The inuyoukai yawned, stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed his arms behind his head. He fell into a light doze, rousing on instinct when he heard her light footsteps. Inutaisho smiled to himself and cracked and eyelid, watching her fearless approach. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the little female. Her face and clothes were scratched and dirty and she was so tired she could barely walk straight.

"I caught you," she mumbled, tapping his cheek lightly. Inutaisho let his eye slip close. Dawn wasn't that far away. Still, she'd caught up with him sooner then he'd expected. He wondered if she- His thoughts were completely thrown off track as he felt a warm, unfamiliar weight on his pelt. Opening his eyes confirmed his suspicions. The child was curled up on his pelt, fingers lightly clenching the fur, sound asleep. That little- He never said she could- Where did she have the nerve to-

Suddenly Inutaisho threw back his head and laughed. Holy hell, she was just like him. He subdued himself when he sensed her waking. When she drifted off again, he curled his pelt around her and pulled her closer to the warmth of his body. These next few days could prove to be very entertaining.


	3. Scroll 3: Unknowing Promise

It was such a pretty day. High above her, the tress rustled as a soft wind blew through their branches, making the light patterns the leaves made on the ground shift and jump. White butterflies danced among the many flowers that littered the forest floor. Izayoi smiled as the wind swept down to gently tug at her hair. She twirled in it, flinging her arms wide.

"Isn't it so pretty?" she asked her youkai companion. He smiled, gazing up through the trees at the puffy clouds.

"Yes it is." He returned his gaze to her and gave her a dry look. "It might have been better had you not slept half the day." He seemed annoyed. Izayoi frowned slightly. Heros were never supposed to be annoyed with their ladies. They were supposed to find them cute. A shake of her head dismissed the stray thought. It was just another thing she would have to teach him. She skipped ahead a few paces and picked a blue flower, bringing the soft petals up to her nose to inhale the scent.

"It's slow going enough without you stopping to pick flowers," the youkai said, tapping her on the head with his fingers.

"Smell," she said, turning and holding the flower up to him. He made no move to grab it, only inhaled softly. His eyes slipped closed and a smile twitched at the corner of his mouth.

"Mm. That is good."

"You can't smell it properly from all the way up there," Izayoi said, mildly irritated by his pretending.

"I'm an inuyoukai, brat," he said, gently tweaking her nose. "Just because you can't smell past your own feet doesn't mean I can't."

"Oh." Izayoi giggled, tucked the flower behind her ear and wrapped both her arms around one of the youkai's.

"You know, if I smell any more human, we're going to be attacked by every youkai in the area."

"But they're no match for you," Izayoi said, giving his arm a squeeze. He laughed.

"That's true. For a human you're damned hard to argue with. What's your name, anyway?"

"Izayoi. Like the flower."

He wrinkled his nose.

"You don't smell like a flower."

"That's rude!" she said with a giggle. She knew he didn't mean it. A hero would never say anything like that to his lady and mean it. The youkai shook his head but said nothing.

"And what should I call you?" she asked, peering up into his face. He seemed to think on it a moment.

"You may address me as the great, powerful and attractive Lord of the Western Lands."

Izayoi blinked. A hero with a title greater then his lady? No, that wouldn't do at all. Besides, it was too much to speak in one breath.

"Okay, Youkai-san," she said with a smile. He laughed.

"You little shit." In a smooth movement, he slipped his hands under her arms and lifted her up to face level. She put her hands on his arms, more for something to do with them then actual fear of falling. He was smiling up at her, golden eyes reflecting the sunlight. "Do you know how easily I could bite your head off?"

"But you wouldn't," she said, tapping his nose lightly with two fingers.

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm cute," she said, cocking her head to one side. He chuckled, setting her on the ground.

"You're right. Damned if I hate to admit it, but you're right. But if you weren't, I'd eat you."

"No you wouldn't," she said, absently brushing dirt off the hem of her yakuta.

"Are you sure about that?" Youkai-san asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes."

He chuckled and passed a clawed hand briefly through her hair before moving ahead of her. Izayoi walked a few paces behind him, admiring the easy confidence in his step. Even if he didn't act like the best hero, he certainly looked like one. From behind, it was easy to imagine that he _wasn't _youkai.

The trees parted and they came to a narrow road. It sort of looked like the one she'd been on last night, but it was hard to tell. Youkai-san stepped on the road, looking first one way, then the other, his face serious and noble. Izayoi clasped her hands. He looked so heroic and dignified! He cocked his head, then suddenly dropped to all fours and began sniffing at the road. Izayoi blinked. Were real heros supposed to do that?

"Well, isn't that interesting," he said, sitting back cross-legged on the road.

"What?" she asked, coming closer.

"Humans passed this way." He absently rubbed the tip of his nose with his thumb. "I don't know if they were yours but I suppose we'll find out."

"Is that what was interesting?"

"In a way…" With a shrug, he bounded gracefully to his feet and started down the road. Izayoi ran to catch up with him and grabbed his arm.

"But what do you mean? What's interesting?"

"Curiosity is just killing you, isn't it?" he asked, grinning down at her. She nodded and he laughed. "In that case, I don't think I'll tell you."

Izayoi sighed and added the remark to the list of things she would have to train out of him. She leaned her head against his arm and smiled. Still…despite his flaws, he was the best hero she'd ever had.

* * *

Twilight was falling rapidly. The forest that lined either side of the road was bursting with activity. Some creatures were ending their daily routine, others just starting them. Inutaisho smiled, thoroughly enjoying the racket. It had been a while since he'd spent any length of time on the ground. Lately he'd been flying, simply because it was so much fun to disappear into the clouds and let Sesshou-chan completely exhaust himself trying to find him. Thinking of finding… Inutaisho tested the air and his senses informed him that they would reach the humans by dawn if they kept up this pace.

"Youkai-san?" said the child at his side. He glanced down at her. "I'm tired. Can we stop now?"

"What? How can you possibly be tired? You just slept all morning."

"But we've walked all day… There's a nice little clearing over there- Ooh! And it has a pretty little pond. We'll rest there."

"I never said-"

But she was all ready skipping in the direction of the clearing. Inutaisho sighed and followed after her. He should just leave her. Really he should. It wasn't possible that she was tired. At that age, Sesshou-chan could walk for three days straight before he started whining. The damn female was just doing it to irk him. The youkai lord dismissed the emotion with a shake of his head. He would not let this little human manipulate him like this. Although, it was hard not to smile as Izayoi checked the clearing, almost as if inspecting it for dust, before she nodded and sat down by the base of a large tree, tucking her legs underneath her. Folding her hands in her lap, she looked up at him.

"You should start a fire," she said. The commanding tone set Inutaisho's teeth on edge. Youkai-san was one thing. But if she thought he could order him around like he was some sort of vassal…

"I don't think you need one," he said, folding his arms and trying to sound as irritated as he felt. She couldn't manipulate him if she didn't know what he was feeling.

"Oh." Izayoi bowed her head apologetically. "I'm sorry. A youkai like you probably doesn't know how to start one."

Inutaisho glared at her. What the _hell _was that supposed to mean? He bit back the growl that was rising in his throat and spoke as levelly as he could.

"I just don't feel like starting a fire for _your _sake."

She looked up at him, smiling gently.

"It's okay, Youkai-san. None of my sisters know how to start a fire either."

"I know how to start one!" he snapped.

"It's okay, really. Sometimes people who can do strong, great things have trouble with simple things." She reached up to brush the flower resting in her hair and smiled warmly. "I still like you anyway. Even if you're not…" she trailed off and frowned.

"Not what?"

"Nothing, I'm sorry," she said, returning her gaze to her lap. The youkai instinctively flexed his claws. This- this _human_ thought he was a complete idiot. Stomping to a nearby tree, twisted off a large branch and started breaking it into pieces. He would show her who the idiot was.

It wasn't flames crackled sharply over the pile of wood did he realize the truth. He bared his teeth at the female who was happily warming her hands. That little bitch. She'd done that on purpose. She took one look at his expression, put her sleeve over her mouth and started giggling. Inutaisho narrowed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked between laughs.

"No you're not."

For some reason, that only made her giggle harder. A tear formed at the corner of her eye and slipped down her cheek. Well… He was _so _glad he amused her. That was it. He was going to leave her. As soon as the sun rose, he would be gone faster then she could blink. After a while, Izayoi calmed herself and gave him a sweet smile. Inutaisho felt some of his irritation fading. Damnit all- She was just a _human._ Oh well. Leaning back on his elbow, he watched her through half-closed eyes. She smiled and bowed her head, almost shyly, but that was all pretense. He couldn't believe this little female would be shy about anything. The blue flower that she'd tucked up in her hair fluttered from its perch and twirled onto her lap. She cupped it gently in two hands and lifted the flower to her face, inhaling deeply.

Anxiety entered her scent then, making her shoulders tense. Inutaisho sat up, opening his eyes and blinking a little at the sudden brightness. What was she scared of? There was nothing in the forest around them….nothing she would be able to sense anyway. And even if there was, Inutaisho could easily take care of any youkai stupid enough to stumble onto their path. So what could she be worrying about?

"I hope big brother isn't too worried about me," she whispered. "He must think something terrible happened after the bandits took me away."

"How do you know he survived?" he asked, just to see what her reaction would be. Izayoi clenched her hand around the flower. When she looked up, her eyes were angry and full of tears.

"Don't say that!" she snapped. "Big brother _is _alive! He's too strong to die! Never say that again!" She covered her face with her hands and her shoulders tensed as if she were trying not to cry. He could smell her tears, though and suddenly, inexplicably, felt bad. He really hadn't meant to upset her. Crawling around the fire to her, he gently lifted her face. She was more upset then angry now and the look on her face was so desperate. It was as if she knew the truth but wanted to believe the lie she was telling. He wanted to apologize, if just to make her feel better, but wasn't sure what to say. Instead he licked a tear from her cheek, the distinctive saltiness of it bursting on his tongue. Izayoi looked at him, seeming startled, then whined softly and hugged him, burying her face against his shoulder.

When it was apparent she wasn't going to let go any time soon, Inutaisho sighed and pulled her on to his lap, keeping his arm around her waist. She shifted into a more comfortable position, rubbing her cheek against his pelt. Inutaisho shook his head, not sure whether to be amused or annoyed at his weakness. He could feel her ribs underneath his hand, so delicate and small one twitch of his claws could snap them. Yet he couldn't bring himself to hurt her…or even abandon her.

Inutaisho stared into the fire, watching as the hours passed and it slowly faded to glowing embers. Izayoi shivered and he instinctively pulled her a little closer, curling his pelt around her shoulders.

"Youkai-san?" she murmured, voice heavy with sleep.

"Mm?"

"Will protect me forever?"

"Mm-hm," he said absently. She sat up, reached behind him and pulled some of his hair over his shoulder, patting it for a moment. He stared at her, one eyebrow raised. Finally, she looked at him, dark eyes catching the meager light of the embers.

"You have to give a lock of your hair to seal it. So I can always remember." She held up the requested amount of hair. Inutaisho cut the strands away with the tips of his claws, without really thinking about it. The strands of silver fell limp in her palm and he watched her, absorbed in a lazy way, as she began to braid the hair. When she had finally finished, she wrapped the hair around her wrist, yawned and curled up against him again. Soon she was breathing deeply, lost to sleep.

Inutaisho yawned himself, stretching his legs out in front of him. Hmm. Maybe he should take a nap him— Wait a minute… What the _hell _had he just done? Frantically, Inutaisho replayed the last moments of conversation in his mind. He'd just promised to- And then he'd- How in the hell had she- Inutaisho shook his head. No. This wasn't acceptable. Next thing she would be asking him to wait on her hand and foot for the rest of her life and at this point, he didn't trust himself to say no. He had to leave her and leave her _now… _First thing in the morning…

* * *

Yay! Just in time, too! Happy Valentines Day, people! 


End file.
